Bethlehem LIVE

Friday night, December 19th, 2008 we went to "Bethlehem Live" at one of the local churches. It was VERY COOL! The entire courtyard was transformed into Biblical Bethlehem. Take a look!











This is the prophet Isaiah proclaiming the coming king.







The angel appearing to Mary, to tell her she would give birth to God's son.










As Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, there is NO ROOM for them. (yes, it was a real donkey)







Jesus is born in a humble stable.








Angels appear to the shepherds, proclaiming the birth of the King.










The wise men see the star, and travel to see the new King.



It was a great experience to focus completely on the birth of Christ and what should be the real focus of Christmas.
"Let every heart prepare him room"

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2003

Christmas 2003

First, I back up to last year and offer my deepest apologies for not including a photo. (Several of you mentioned that you were neglected). The truth is, however, that after SEVERAL attempts at a decent photo, I gave up. The boys would NOT sit still for love or money (or even candy.) So the cards were mailed without a photo to all 130 folks on our Christmas list!

I also need to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my sister-in-law Michelle who showed me how to use my computer address book and print the labels for all our Christmas cards. It has been SOOOO helpful in keeping up with military friends (and family) all over the world.

We have relocated to Panama City Beach Florida. Our new address is: 422 Osprey Lane, Panama City, FL 32407, Phone 850-276-3378. Email remains: MikenMelda@aol.com

Mike is working here as the Public Works Officer and the Officer in Charge of Construction. (also known in the Navy as the “PWO/OICC”) We are very thankful to have him home after a 5 month deployment to Iraq. Our hearts and prayers are with all our military families during this time.

Michael is in first grade and doing well. Reading and adding and telling time. He continues to be a great big brother and a good helper for me around the house. He loves to vacuum and dust……is that amazing or what?
Isaac will be 4 in January. He goes to preschool 3 mornings a week and continues to be our “social butterfly”. He is a funny guy and never leaves things boring or dull around here.
Zion turned 2 in August and tries to do everything his brothers do. He can ride a bike (with training wheels) and is getting the hang of wearing underwear. Everything is “me do it”.

As I reflect on the Christmas story, I am drawn to the shepherds. Can you imagine? (my personal paraphrase) “Here we go again, out to tend the sheep. Another day, another dollar, another night to sleep on the ground and heat our beanie weenies over a camp fire.”
And then, the sky fills with singing angels, “A King has been born!” WOW! What a change in pace!
My goal is to live each day expecting something amazing to happen. God uses everyday people to do amazing things. And you never know when it’s going happen. You might even be witness to a miracle. I am in charge of three miracles everyday. Something spectacular is happening in their lives as they grow. I just have to be looking. I am thankful for such a privilege.

Lots of love to you all,
from the Thornton Family

Christmas 2001

I thought it would be fun to record our past Christmas letters. I will try to find a photo to go with it later. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Okay, I know…..Christmas is over, but I have never been on time for anything in my life, so getting out my holiday greetings should be no exception. This year during Mike’s Christmas leave, we decided to vacation. We went from Sea World, San Diego to the Sequoia National Forrest. From sea level to 9000 feet (and SNOW!) Then back down to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge. We toured Space Camp California and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Considering the fact that we traveled 1000 miles with 3 young boys, it was a really fun trip!

Now, to back up 12 months: Mike graduated from Texas A&M last December and left in January for the Navy’s Dive School in Panama City Beach Florida. He completed dive school in June and we moved back to California. He is working at the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (or just NFESC to Navy folk) and enjoys his job, especially on the days he gets to actually dive.

Michael has grown and matured this year. He is in pre-school three days a week and is a great big brother. He still loves trains, but has a new fascination with aircraft of any kind. He can tell you the difference between a B-52 bomber and a SR 71 Blackbird and wants to fly an F-14 when he gets bigger.

Isaac has also changed from a crawling baby last Christmas to a running-wild toddler this year. He is FINALLY talking (after getting tubes in his ears in March) and tries to do/ say / copy anything Michael does.

The biggest event of the year was the birth of our third son, Zion Thomas. He was born on August 7th and is just a love. He has big brown eyes and a cute dimple when he smiles. He is just starting to roll over, play with toys and really respond to others. It should REALLY get interesting around here in the next few months!

We wish you many wonderful blessings in 2002.
Mike, Melda, Michael, Isaac and Zion Thornton

Christmas 2000

2000
What a year!





This year has been great for the Thornton family and we feel so blessed to have survived it! Not to miss a beat…..We started the New Year at a church fellowship that lasted past midnight. Little did we know, at 3:17am our second son Isaac was born! (We were asleep by then!) On Monday the 3rd, our adoption agency called us to let us know we were parents again. Twenty-four hours later, we were in the car heading to Houston to pick him up. It was a whirlwind to say the least! Children make SO many changes in the first year, and Isaac is no exception as he approaches his first birthday. He has a mouthful of teeth and crawls at the speed of light. He is a BIG boy, weighing in at 23+ lbs and gives older brother Michael a run for his money.

Michael has also made many changes this year. He started a mother’s day out program this fall and loves going to “school”. He still loves trains more than anything and his latest accomplishment is to whistle (like a train). He can also write his name and other “smart” stuff that makes parents so proud. He is doing great (most of the time) at being a big brother and enjoys “reading” books to Isaac. He cracks us up finishing every story with, “now that’s a great book Isaac!”

Mike graduates December 16th from Texas A&M with a graduate degree in Ocean Engineering. He has been accepted to the Navy’s dive school in Panama City Florida and will begin that training February through June. The boys and I will stay here in Texas. Mike has follow up orders back to Port Hueneme California to be the Director of Diving Operations in June and we will all head west at that time.

My newest adventure has been volunteer work with Aggieland Pregnancy Outreach. To make a long story short, we have a pregnant teenager named Kristin living with us. Her baby WAS due December 11th, but we are still waiting. She will be placing her baby for adoption and it has been a blessing for me to be on the “other side” of the adoption triangle. I am also one of the four teachers in Michael’s three and four year old Sunday School class. I just love this age of learning and adventure! And what an added blessing to see them learning about God’s love.

We pray that God has richly blessed you and your family this year as well!

Merry Christmas!
Mike, Melda, Michael and Isaac

Christmas 1999

This is a cool find in the "lost files" of our computer. This was written just before we adopted Isaac, (*little did we know, he was just a few days from being born!) COOL!

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Merry Christmas to family and friends everywhere!

It has been a couple of years since we did an informative Christmas letter, so I have decided to embark on the task for the last year of the century!

We moved from California in April of this year, to Bryan Texas. The Navy is sending Mike to graduate school. He is getting his master’s degree in Ocean Engineering and has already been accepted to the Navy’s Dive School program. Mike will graduate in December 2000 and we will be moving again. Dive School is held in Panama City, Florida, but we are not sure yet if that will immediately follow graduation.
I have been taking a class this semester too. I am taking, (and struggling with,) French. I hope to be able to give Michael a head start in another language. It is a beneficial skill to have, and French is also the official language of Haiti, the country of his birth. I am also staying busy with the normal activities of being the mother of a toddler, and the wife of a student. I am active in our church’s choir and also involved in the Women’s Ministry Team. Last but not least, I am trying to keep up with all the many crafts that I enjoy.

As for Michael; he was two in July and we love this age tremendously! He has the funniest personality and it is so awesome to watch him learn and explore. His favorite thing in the world is STILL trains, but he also enjoys construction vehicles and “Hot Wheels” in general. He and daddy are big “book reading buddies” and they spend Friday afternoons together while I am in class. He enjoys Happy Meals and the local children’s museum. He does say a few words in French and recognizes most letters in the alphabet.

As a general overview, we are enjoying Texas. We are a little closer (in distance) to our relatives and spent most of the summer with them in Alabama. The summers here are just a ‘tad’ warmer than California, and that first electric bill was a little shocking! But it is nice for Michael to be able to play outside so often and I personally despise snow! *Except on a Christmas letter of course! We also decided to adopt another baby while living in Texas. Our paperwork is finally finished and we have been approved. So, the waiting process begins. This adoption is quite different from Michael’s adoption. We are doing a domestic adoption, and we ask for your prayers. There are many different issues to consider and we will be required to have some contact with the baby’s birth mother. We don’t have a time frame to give you, but we are hoping for spring. We know that God has a perfect baby for us! We just have to be patient and wait for Him to work a miracle, just as He did with Michael.

I shall close for this year with a few words in French.
joyeux Noël and bonne année!
(That’s Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)
Love,
M3
Mike, Melda and Michael